Teamsters excessively picketed Carson trucking firm, NLRB finds

Teamsters led a 24 Hour Unfair Labor Practice strike in August 2013 against Green Fleet Systems trucking company in Carson for what they claim are unlawful retaliation against pro-union workers. Protestors march back in forth at the entrance to the Green Fleet facility in Alameda Street. Aug. 26, 2013 file photo. (Steve McCrank / Staff Photographer)

Los Angeles and Long Beach port truck drivers who picketed against a local company violated federal law, it was announced Friday.

The National Labor Relations Board Region 21 Office this week determined that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Port Division’s picketing against Carson-based Green Fleet Systems was “excessive” as defined by the NLRB Act.

Picketing is deemed an unfair labor practice if the goal is to represent nonunion employees and if the length of time picketing was excessive.

“After months of providing evidence of union misconduct to the NLRB, we are pleased that the NLRB has announced action will be taken against unlawful recognitional picketing,” said Thomas Lenz, legal counsel for Green Fleet Systems.

Attorney Julie Gutman Dickinson, who represents the Teamsters Port Division, called the issue minor and said the group intends to quickly settle the employer’s charge with the NLRB by posting a notice.

“Green Fleet filed a number of charges against the Teamsters and all allegations were dismissed as meritless by the NLRB Region, except this minor charge about the union’s ‘practice picketing,’ ” she said. “We do not agree with the conclusions reached by the NLRB on this issue; however, our focus is on providing support to Green Fleet drivers who have been victims of more than 50 egregious unfair labor practices that the NLRB Region is prosecuting. These hardworking drivers are seeking to improve their working conditions by forming a union at their company.”

For more than a year, port truck drivers and their supporters, including the Teamsters, have been picketing several trucking firms such as Green Fleet and marine terminals at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. In April, truckers went on a 48-hour strike that started at a container terminal in Long Beach, causing some work disruption.

Protesters say the trucking companies have been able to use the job classification of independent workers to pay truckers who haul cargo in and out of the ports less and deny them protections that employees get under state and federal laws.

Trucking company representatives have said this is an attempt by the Teamsters to bully drivers who do not want to form a union.

“This action finally calls the recent tactics by the Teamsters for what they are — intimidation, pure and simple,” Lenz said, adding that union tactics have included following drivers to their homes and threatening retaliation for not joining the union.

That is not true, said Barbara Maynard, spokeswoman for Justice for Port Drivers.

“While there are many open union supporters, many others support the union in silence out of fear that they will be retaliated against if they make their union support known,” she said, pointing to intimidation by the company, including a push to sign an anti-union petition. “Employees are petrified to make their true support for the union known.”

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Contact Karen Robes Meeks at 562-714-2088.

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Newspaper reporter with more than a decade of experience in journalism. I cover trade and transportation. Reach the author at karen.robes@langnews.com
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